1.17 lakh people declared as foreigners by tribunals in Assam

A total of 1.17 lakh people have been declared foreigners by tribunals set up in Assam till March this year, Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said on Tuesday.

At present, 100 Foreigners' Tribunals (FTs) are functional in different districts in Assam, Reddy said.

"Up to March 31, 2019, a total of 1,17,164 people have been declared foreigners by tribunals," he said in his reply to a written question of Congress MP Abdul Khaleque.

Reddy said marking of 'D' voters is not done by the FTs and the number of cases disposed of by them varies from month to month and tribunal to tribunal.

He said the tribunals function as per the procedure laid down in the Foreigners' Tribunals (Order) 1964.

According to an order of the Supreme Court on December 17, 2014, a special bench of the Gauhati High Court is regularly monitoring the functioning of the FTs.

"A person not satisfied with the opinion of FT is entitled to approach higher courts. Adjudication of citizenship is a legal process and every person is given full opportunity to prove his claim of citizenship," Reddy said.